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Successes  and  Opportunities 
in  Evangelizing  the  World 


Korea 

Rev.  GEORGE  HEBER  JONES,  Ph.D. 

Chemulpo,  Korea 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
RINDGE  LITERATURE  DEPARTMENT 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/successesopportuOOjone 


Successes  and  Opportunities 
in  Korea. 


Rev.  GEORGE  HEBER  JONES,  Ph.D. 
Chemulpo,  Korea 


A Striking  Country  and  People 

The  peninsula  empire  occupies  about  eighty-five 
thousand  square  miles  of  mountainous  and  well- 
watered  territory.  Here  live  ten  millions  of 
Koreans,  speaking  one  language  and  holding  to  the 
same  traditions  and  history  and  the  same  forms  of 
religion.  There  are  but  four  large  cities  in  the 
land — Seoul,  Songdo,  Pyengyang,  and  Taiku — em- 
bracing only  one  twentieth  of  the  population,  the 
Korean  people  being  altogether  agricultural  in 
their  occupations.  We  are  laboring  among  a na- 
tion of  farmers. 

These  people  hold  to  three  general  forms  of  re- 
ligion: Confucianism,  the  state  religion;  Bud- 
dhism, which  shorn  of  its  power  and  grandeur  is 
now  fallen  into  decay;  and  Shamanism  or  spirit- 
ualistic nature  worship,  the  popular  cult  of  the 
common  people,  holding  them  in  abject  bondage  to 
dark  superstitions,  degrading  practices,  and  insane 
fears  and  fancies. 

In  character  the  Korean  people  are  naturally 
3 


friendly.  To  those  who  inspire  them  with  respect 
and  confidence  they  are  the  soul  of  generous  hos- 
pitality. The  Koreans  are  intellectually  inclined; 
the  national  ideal  is  the  scholar.  Whereas  in  China 
the  cast  of  mind  is  commercial,  giving  us  a nation 
of  merchants,  and  in  Japan  it  is  military,  giving  us 
a nation  of  warriors,  in  Korea  it  is  literary,  giving 
us  a nation  of  thinkers.  The  Koreans  are  conserva- 
tive. Conservatism  is  characteristic  of  age,  and  the 
Koreans  are  an  old  nation.  At  the  time  when  our 
ancestors  were  wild  savages,  wandering  in  the  for- 
ests of  northern  Europe  clad  in  skins,  practicing 
rites,  holding  to  superstitions  and  living  amid  con- 
ditions far  worse  than  those  which  prevail  in 
Korea  to-day,  Korea  had  its  king  and  government 
and  had  begun  its  existence  as  an  independent  peo- 
ple. That  was  three  thousand  years  ago.  For 
three  thousand  years  they  have  walked  those  moun- 
tain slopes  and  along  the  river  banks;  for  three 
thousand  years  they  have  toiled  and  struggled, 
seeking,  hoping,  despairing  of  a coming  day.  But 
there  are  bright  spots  of  light  and  beauty  in  the 
picture.  Let  us  look  at  some  of  them. 

Successes  of  Christian  Missions  in  Korea 

Twenty-five  years  ago  Korea  was  an  unknown 
land.  It  had  its  place  on  the  map,  but  its  coasts 
were  unsurveyed,  its  rivers  unexplored,  and  the 
names  of  its  cities  unknown.  No  treaties  with 
Christian  nations  existed ; no  commerce  brought 
wealth  to  the  people;  no  travelers  visited  the  coun- 
try, and  the  outside  world  was  equally  unknown  to 
the  Korean.  He  bad  heard  of  the  white  man  and 
even  seen  a few  specimens  of  that  race,  most  of 
whom  he  had  promptly  killed  and  thrown  to  the 
dogs  and  ravens  to  eat.  He  had  seen  enough  to 
convince  him  that  the  white  man  was  a wild,  tbiev- 
4 


ing  savage,  whose  language  sounded  like  the  twit- 
tering of  sparrows  and  the  chatterings  of  magpies, 
whose  customs  and  ideas  were  immoral  and  blas- 
phemous. whose  costume  and  appearance  were  dia- 
bolical, and  whose  religion  was  the  sum  of  all  vil- 
lainies. 

Barriers  Overcome 

This  was  the  Korean's  idea  of  the  white  man, 
written  in  his  laws  and  literature  and  deep-grained 
in  his  nature.  Two  short  decades  ago  America 
led  the  way  in  opening  up  Korea  diplomatically, 
Christian  missions  immediately  followed  to  put  an 
end  forever  to  such  conditions  as  I have  described, 
and  in  the  van,  commanding  one  wing  of  the  ad- 
vance guard,  was  our  own  Methodist  Church. 
Missionaries  were  sent  to  found  the  work,  and 
what  a task  confronted  them  ! 

They  had  to  wrest  from  a pagan  government  and 
an  antagonistic  populace  the  right  to  reside  with- 
in the  borders  of  the  land,  to  travel,  study,  teach, 
and  convert;  they  had  to  face  the  peril  and  danger 
of  the  plague  and  pestilence,  the  sea,  the  moun- 
tains, and  lonely  places,  the  mob,  robbers,  wild 
beasts,  and  savage  men.  They  bad  to  master  a 
barbarous  tongue  and  make  it  the  servitor  of 
Christ,  a language  so  perverse  that  one  has  said  he 
doubted  if  a man  could  speak  the  truth  with  it. 
They  had  to  stand  firm  and  unflinching  amid  the 
loneliness  and  desolation  of  their  situation.  They 
did  it.  They  built  over  against  the  institutions  of 
heathenism  the  institutions  of  Christ.  They  set 
up  the  altar  of  the  true  God  in  the  midst  of  the 
myriad  altars  of  false  gods;  they  cried  forth  into 
the  noise,  confusion  and  babble  of  false  ideas  and 
wild  superstitions  the  eternal  truth  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus:  and  in  eighteen  years  the  prejudices 
and  antagonism  of  ten  millions  of  people  three 
5 


thousand  years  deep  in  their  heathenism  have  been 
conquered,  and  in  their  place  friendly  relations 
established.  I submit  that  were  this  all  we  had  to 
show  it  would  be  enough  for  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  labor. 

Vantage  Points  Gained 

But  not  only  have  we  secured  for  ourselves  the 
right  to  work,  but  a revolution  has  been  established 
in  the  thought  and  attitude  of  the  people  toward 
Christ  such  as  has  taken  centuries  to  produce  in 
other  lands.  Christianity  has  been  vindicated  from 
the  base  calumnies  with  which  it  was  slandered. 
The  laws  in  the  penal  code  which  denounce  death 
to  all  who  embrace  our  religion  have  been  rendered 
a dead  letter.  From  looking  upon  it  as  a religion 
fit  only  for  barbarians  and  savages  the  lordly  Con- 
fucianist  cries  out  in  amazement,  “Your  Christ  is 
as  great  as  our  Sage!”  One  of  the  most  honored 
and  ablest  statesmen  of  Korea  said  to  me : “Go  on 
with  your  teaching;  Christianity  is  destined 
shortly  to  be  Korea’s  religion.  For  three  hundred 
years  our  land  has  not  produced  a really  great  ex- 
pounder or  exemplifier  of  the  Confucian  cult.  We 
possess  only  the  shadow  of  it.  We  are  a land  with- 
out religion,  and  Christianity  must  fee  accepted 
by  us.” 

It  rests  with  us  to  say  whether  Christianity 
when  it  is  accepted  by  Korea  shall  be  Roman  and 
sacramental  or  evangelical  and  biblical  in  form. 
The  attitude  of  the  people  has  changed.  Though 
they  persecute  and  oppose  our  converts,  they  do  it 
not  because  they  think  Christianity  bad,  but  be- 
cause they  look  upon  our  converts  as  traitors  to 
their  ancestors.  They  know  Christianity  is  good. 
They  expect  its  final  triumph.  Their  attitude  is 
one  of  anticipation. 


6 


The  Church  Founded 

The  foundations  were  laid  when  our  Lord  Christ 
shed  his  blood  on  Calvary’s  brow  and  opened  to 
Koreans  the  gates  of  life.  They  were  laid  when 
God’s  Spirit  moved  his  servants  in  America  to  send 
to  Korea  the  banner  of  the  world-conquering  cross. 
In  the  human  and  temporal  sense  they  have  been 
deeply,  solemnly  laid  during  the  past  two  decades. 
From  among  that  populace  with  many  a Saul 
breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against 
Christ  there  have  come  Pauls  who  have  become 
glorious  workmen  for  Christ,  building  up  his  king- 
dom throughout  the  Korean  empire.  Fifteen  years 
ago  we  reported  our  first  membership — thirty-eight 
converts.  To-day  a host  of  seven  thousand  Metho- 
dists are  enrolled  in  our  churches,  eager,  earnest, 
and  consecrated,  and  at  their  head  stand  four  or- 
dained ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Bible  and  Prayer  Have  the  Right  of  Way 

The  Korean  Church  is  a Bible-loving  Church. 
Most  of  our  male  converts  and  a large  per  cent  of 
the  women  can  read.  I once  met  an  old  man  who 
had  been  converted  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
The  frequent  services  through  the  week  did  not 
satisfy  him.  His  heart  was  so  full  of  love  for 
God’s  word  that  he  wished  to  read  it  for  himself. 
He  was  ignorant  of  letters,  yet  at  that  advanced 
age  this  old  man  learned  to  read  in  order  that  he 
might  be  able  to  see  for  himself  the  glories  of  God 
in  his  word.  Another  old  man  named  Mathew  Yi 
was  known  never  to  be  without  a copy  of  the  Bible 
in  his  hand,  except  when  eating  or  sleeping.  Our 
people  love  the  Bible. 

Wherever  in  the  world  you  find  the  Bible  loved 
7 


and  honored,  there  you  will  find  the  family  altar 
also,  and  so  it  is  with  the  Korean.  As  a heathen 
he  is.  as  Paul  said  of  the  Athenians,  “too  reli- 
gious.” Before  the  light  of  Christ  dispels  his  dark- 
ness he  peoples  his  home  with  specter  demons. 
They  perch  on  the  beams  and  nest  in  the  ceiling 
and  walls ; they  enshrine  themselves  in  the  parlor, 
the  kitchen,  and  the  shed ; they  hide  in  the  floor 
and  the  chimney.  The  Korean  without  Christ 
spends  his  life  amid  these  death-shadows.  But  the 
Christian  Korean  erects  in  his  home  the  family 
altar,  and  the  darkness  and  gloom  vanish,  the  dead 
shadows  flee  away,  and  in  their  train  go  many  a 
superstition,  many  a cruel  practice.  The  family 
altar  stands  for  a Christian  home,  and  a Christian 
home  means  love,  sympathy,  and  cooperation.  It 
means  wife  raised  from  the  position  of  a servant 
and  toy  to  that  of  a helpmeet  and  a companion.  It 
means  one  wife  and  purity,  not  many  wives  and 
debauchery.  To-day  in  thousands  of  homes  in  the 
valleys  and  on  the  hill-slopes  of  Korea  there  are 
family  altars  where  husband  and  wife  and  chil- 
dren gather  in  daily  prayer  for  divine  grace  and 
guidance,  and  a heavenly  Shekinah  shines  forth 
and  changes  a mud  hut  into  a temple  to  the  only 
living  and  eternal  God. 

The  Korean  Church  an  Active  Church 
From  the  very  first  the  convert  is  more  than  a 
church  member,  he  is  a worker  for  Christ.  He 
may  be  only  an  ignorant,  untutored,  uncouth 
farmer,  but  he  knows  and  possesses  something  his 
neighbors  have  not,  and  he  presses  it  home  on 
them.  There  is  an  impulse  within  him  to  work 
for  Christ.  His  soul  is  energized  with  new  and 
glorious  forces.  He  would  not  keep  silent  if  he 
could,  and  he  could  not  if  he  would.  His  heathen 
8 


neighbors  will  not  permit  him  to  remain  inactive. 
From  the  day  he  publicly  renounces  heathenism  by 
burning  his  fetiches  and  idols  on  the  plot  in  front 
of  his  house  he  is  a marked  man.  His  neighbors 
attack  him  and  his  new  beliefs,  and  he  must  de- 
fend them  and  prove  their  truth  or  surrender  at 
discretion  and  go  back  to  heathenism.  He  is 
strengthened  by  this  process,  and  bis  testimony  to 
his  neighbors  backed  up  by  a changed  life  is  power- 
ful, because  he  speaks  in  the  language  and  ideas 
with  which  they  are  familiar.  Thus  through  this 
one  man  Christianity  obtains  a foothold  in  some 
heathen  village;  a few  others  join  this  first  con- 
vert; they  grow  in  grace,  knowledge,  and  num- 
bers. The  first  convert  is  recognized  by  the  mis- 
sionary as  the  class  reader.  Some  baptisms  take 
place.  By  the  time  their  numbers  reach  twelve 
or  fifteen  families  they  put  up  a building  especially 
for  worship.  It  is  not  very  beautiful  in  archi- 
tecture or  material.  Like  the  houses  of  the  be- 
lievers, it  may  have  mud  walls  and  thatched  roofs 
and  paper  windows,  but  it  is  their  church ! And  I 
will  tell  you  one  thing  about  it:  It  is  always  just 
a little  better  than  the  houses  of  the  converts.  It 
is  consecrated  to  God.  and  here  they  worship,  and 
who  shall  say  it  is  not  as  precious  and  beautiful 
in  the  eyes  of  the  all-seeing  Father  as  the  costliest 
fane  ever  erected  by  the  poured-out  treasure  of 
Christendom? 

From  an  Ox  to  a Chicken 
And  what  is  the  result?  Heathenism  vanishes 
away.  Dr.  Noble  tells  of  a hamlet  of  sixty  fami- 
lies where  we  got  a footing,  and  in  the  course  of 
a short  time  forty  families  became  Christians.  Pre- 
viously they  had  a yearly  sacrifice  to  the  demons. 
In  which  an  ox  was  offered.  But  this  year  Cbris- 
9 


tianity  had  made  such  inroads  on  the  numbers  of 
the  non-Christian  populace  that  those  who  re- 
mained contented  themselves  with  offering  a chick- 
en to  the  gods!  Ask  me  what  is  the  result  of  our 
work?  That  is  the  result — the  sacrifices  of  hea- 
thenism are  dwindling  from  an  ox  to  a chicken. 

The  work  in  these  villages  is  built  up  and  con- 
served by  the  native  converts.  Ne%rer  has  there 
been  a time  in  the  history  of  the  work  in  Korea 
w-hen  there  have  been  enough  white  men  to  prop- 
erly shepherd  God’s  Church  there.  Our  native 
converts  have  done  this  as  well  as  they  could. 
They  have  served  without  pay  of  any  kind,  work- 
ing on  their  farms  throughout  the  week  like  the 
other  Christians,  but  keeping  the  lamp  of  God 
burning. 

A Working  Church  a Spirit-Filled  Church 

Whence  comes  the  power  of  these  Korean  farm- 
ers to  stand  firm  against  all  the  forces  that  a 
trained  and  intellectual  paganism  can  bring  to 
bear  upon  them?  Whence  comes  their  power  to 
overcome  the  false  ideas  and  debased  practices  in 
their  own  hearts,  their  homes,  and  their  hamlets? 
Whence  comes  their  power  to  meet  and  vanquish 
the  skilled  intellectual  forces  of  Confucianism? 
Whence  comes  their  power  to  stand  unflinching  and 
triumphant  amid  the  fierce  furnace  fires  of  perse- 
cution? One  answer  alone  there  is:  It  is  the 

Spirit  of  God. 

The  Korean  Church  a Persecuted  Church 

There  is  not  a man  in  our  Church  that  has  not 
suffered  in  his  body,  his  goods,  or  his  soul  because 
of  Christ.  Some  have  been  cast  out  in  disgrace 
by  relatives;  children  have  been  disinherited  by 
parents,  and  parents  abandoned  by  children;  wives 
have  been  divorced  by  husbands  because  of  Christ. 

10 


Some  have  lost  property  and  temporal  prosperity. 
Others  have  met  cruel  beatings,  even  nigh  unto 
death  for  His  sake. 

The  Korean  Church  a Self-supporting 
Church 

The  Korean  Church  has  made  a magnificent 
record  in  self-support.  It  was  to  be  expected.  A 
Bible-loving,  active,  working,  Spirit-filled,  perse- 
cuted Church  must  do  its  full  limit  in  self-support. 
For  every  paid  helper  we  have  there  are  fifty 
volunteer  workers.  Chapels  are  built,  all  running 
expenses  paid,  visitation  to  outlying  classes  main- 
tained, and  Christian  literature  bought  and  dis- 
tributed out  of  the  funds  of  the  native  Church.  It 
is  a sight  to  see  a worshiping  congregation  when 
the  collection  is  taken;  rarely  will  a man  allow 
the  plate  to  pass  him  without  a gift.  Beginning 
in  1894,  when  we  had  221  members,  our  Korean 
Church  has  contributed  17,530  yen,  or  over  $8,000, 
for  the  work  of  the  Lord.  How  much  this  sum 
represents  in  God’s  arithmetic  I will  not  venture 
to  estimate. 

This  is  some  little  part  of  the  story  of  success 
in  Korea.  I will  not  speak  of  the  wide-spreading 
influence  of  our  Church  on  the  national  life  and 
character,  or  of  the  indirect  successes  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  world  of  Korean  thought,  but  enough 
has  been  said  to  show  that  opposing  conditions 
have  been  met  and  conquered,  obstacles  sur- 
mounted, and  problems  solved.  The  Church  of 
Christ  has  been  established,  with  its  foundation  in 
the  bed  rock  of  national  character.  We  are  weath- 
ering all  storms  of  persecution  and  forging  slowly 
ahead,  in  spite  of  the  fiercest  gales  blowing  from 
the  pit.  Our  story  is  an  uninterrupted  tale  of 
progress  and  success. 


11 


The  Opportunities  of  Christian  Missions  in 
Korea 

Light  begins  to  stream  in  on  Korea’s  darkness. 
The  Eastern  horizon  is  breaking  into  smiles  with 
the  glory  of  a new  day.  Christ  has  come,  and 
Christ  is  the  Light  of  the  world.  Fair  indeed  is 
the  vision  as  we  look  out  upon  Christ’s  triumphs 
in  Korea.  But  what  a prospect  greets  us  as  we 
catch  a glimpse  of  the  golden  day  of  opportunity 
in  Korea. 

Territorially  Korea  lies  at  our  feet.  It  has  been 
visited,  explored,  and  mapped  out  in  its  length  and 
breadth.  Every  province  and  the  larger  portion  of 
the  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  prefectures  which 
constitute  the  empire  have  been  visited  and  sown 
with  Christian  literature,  and  in  many  of  these 
prefectures  Christian  converts  reside  and  work  for 
the  Master.  The  distribution  and  location  of 
Christ’s  forces  in  Korea  constitute  an  opportunity 
of  the  first  order. 

There  is  an  utter  absence  of  many  things  which 
serve  in  other  lands  as  serious  competitors  with 
Christianity.  In  Korea  Christianity  is  the  only 
thing  in  sight.  No  new  political  life,  calling  the 
people  to  consider  questions  of  communal  and 
national  welfare,  with  the  excitement  incidental 
to  local  and  other  elections,  breaks  in  on  the  mo- 
notony of  their  life.  No  expanding  military  and 
naval  development  appeals  to  their  national  pride. 
No  public  school  system,  with  its  multitudes  of 
children  and  youth  preparing  themselves  to  take 
a worthy  part  in  the  affairs  of  life,  gives  hope  for 
the  future.  No  large  industrial  and  commercial 
enterprises  under  native  control  promise  relief  to 
the  widespread  poverty  of  the  Korean  people. 

12 


And  last,  and  most  important  of  all,  the  black 
curse  of  a skeptical,  infidel,  impure  literature 
has  not  yet  found  expression  in  the  Korean  lan- 
guage. As  far  as  the  life  of  the  populace  is  con- 
cerned, it  remains  unchanged  and  undisturbed.  The 
only  new  thing  that  breaks  in  on  Korean  quietude 
is  Christianity.  It  alone  speaks  of  a promise  of 
improvement  in  communal  and  national  conditions; 
it  alone  affords  a hope  of  safety  and  security  to 
the  nation ; it  alone  has  an  organized  school  sys- 
tem. The  two  secular  newspapers  published  under 
native  auspices  are  favorable  to  Christianity.  The 
only  weekly  published  in  the  land  is  the  organ  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  only  magazine  pub- 
lished is  the  organ  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  only  literature  to-day  is  that  which 
comes  forth  from  Christian  sources.  The  two  best 
selling  books  in  Korea  are  the  Christian  Bible  and 
hymn  book.  Therefore,  I repeat  it,  Christianity  is 
the  only  thing  in  sight.  From  the  vantage  point 
of  this  opportunity  we  can  reach  and  influence  the 
nation  with  exceptional  power.  IIow  long  this 
will  continue  to  be  the  case  we  cannot  say,  for 
the  devil  is  not  yet  dead.  But  while  the  oppor- 
tunity lasts  it  should  be  improved  to  its  utmost. 

The  Conditions  Among  the  People  at  Large 
an  Opportunity 

Tourists  tell  us  that  two  things  in  Korea  strike 
them  very  forcibly:  The  pitiable  condition  to 

which  the  people  have  been  reduced,  and  the 
amazing  success  of  Christian  missions.  Korea’s 
need,  nor  man,  nor  angel,  nor  seraph  can  ade- 
quately describe.  Only  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
who,  from  the  depths  of  his  holiness  measures  so 
accurately  all  moral  conditions,  can  know  the  depth 
of  Korea’s  ruin  and  desolation.  Oppression  is 
13 


there  in  “cruel  man-destroying  power,  that  ravages 
kingdoms  and  lays  empires  waste  and  in  pitiless 
wantonness  thins  states  of  half  their  people  and 
gives  up  the  rest  to  want.”  Oppression  blights 
every  budding  promise  of  good.  Vice  is  there  para- 
lyzing and  destroying  the  life  of  the  people.  The 
typical  Korean  looks  out  on  the  world  with  the 
sense  that  the  best  things  are  gone.  Purity  and  in- 
nocence, hope,  life,  and  God  are  gone ; and  gone  are 
those  things  which  make  for  righteousness  and 
truth,  that  in  Christian  lands  are  enjoyed  in  such 
lavish  bounty  that  many  ignore  and  even  trample 
them  under  feet.  Unknown  are  those  priceless 
privileges  of  the  Christian  Church  and  her  services 
and  influences  that  pervade  the  air  we  breathe, 
that  follow  us  from  cradle  to  grave.  The  Korean 
stands  and  searches  far  and  wide  over  the  desolate 
gloomy  wastes  of  his  civilization  for  all  these 
things,  but  they  are  gone. 

A short  time  ago  I was  walking  with  a young 
Korean  man,  a patriot  concerned  for  the  welfare  of 
his  people.  He  said  to  me : “We  look  out  into  the 
future  and  see  no  ray  of  light.  The  night  about 
us  is  deep  and  dark  and  cold.  The  hearts  of  my 
people  are  frost-bitten.”  Aye ! that  is  it,  frost- 
bitten by  the  dark,  Arctic  night  of  heathenism ! 
Into  conditions  like  these  come  the  story  of  the 
Gospel  with  its  promise  of  help,  of  better  things, 
of  a brighter  day.  Christ  has  seen  the  opportunity 
these  conditions  offer  and  he  is  there  in  Korea 
to-day.  Sometimes  beside  the  lonely  missionary, 
cheering  and  strengthening  him ; sometimes  with  a 
persecuted  Christian  in  his  home,  in  prison,  or  in 
the  death  cell,  even  as  he  was  present  with  his 
saints  of  old  in  the  seven  times  heated  fiery  fur- 
nace; again,  in  the  depths  of  the  conflict  with  the 
forces  of  sin  and  darkness.  We  behold  his  form, 
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we  see  his  pierced  hand  as  it  beckons  us  on  to 
higher  endeavor  and  nobler  achievement.  Shall  we 
lag  behind?  God  forbid  it. 

Opportunities  in  the  Native  Church 

Equal  with  these  opportunities  that  promise  such 
large  reward  is  the  opportunity  which  lies  before 
us  in  the  native  Church.  Here  we  have  a compact, 
enthusiastic,  earnest  body  of  men.  Soldiers  they 
are  in  their  frame  of  mind  where  the  forces  of  sin 
are  concerned,  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  puri- 
fied by  persecution,  and  armed  with  divine  truth. 
They  ask,  first  of  all,  that  we  shall  give  to  them 
in  its  entirety  that  sacred  body  of  truth  which  has 
come  down  to  us  from  our  fathers,  and  which  we 
are  proud  to  pass  on  to  other  nations  and  coming 
generations.  The  Korean  Christians  desire  to  be 
more  than  Christians  in  name ; they  call  for  and 
demand  the  substance  of  Christianity.  They  desire 
to  be  saved  from  the  fate  that  overtook  Coptic  and 
Abyssinian  Christianity.  The  supreme  obligation, 
the  great  task  which  confronts  us  to-day,  recog- 
nized no  less  fully  by  the  native  Church  than  by  the 
missionaries,  is  the  great  need  of  indoctrination. 
These  men  who  have  come  from  the  rice  swamps 
and  barley  fields,  from  the  merchant’s  thorough- 
fares, and  the  teacher’s  mat  demand  that  we  should 
teach  them,  drill  them,  give  them  Christianity  in 
its  entirety. 

And  they  ask  us  for  leadership.  In  our  native 
Church  race  prejudice  has  not  as  yet  lifted  its  ugly 
head.  The  native  Christians  respect  and  honor 
their  white  brothers.  They  look  upon  them  as  car- 
rying in  themselves  the  highest  attainments  and  the 
largest  amount  of  force  possible  from  Christian 
experience.  They  believe  in  them  as  captains  and 
leaders,  and  for  this  generation  and  the  generation 
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to  come  they  turn  their  eyes  and  their  hearts  lov- 
ingly and  expectingly  to  the  overflowing  camps  of 
Christendom  in  search  for  that  consecrated  leader- 
ship which  shall  guide  them  to  final  and  complete 
triumph  in  their  land.  They  are  full  of  courage ; 
there  is  no  intrenchment  of  the  foe  they  will  hesi- 
tate to  storm ; there  is  no  point  in  the  conflict  so 
perilous  but  they  will  gladly  thrust  themselves  into 
it  in  order  to  pluck  victory  for  Jesus  Christ.  Give 
them,  then,  what  they  need  in  this  their  day  of 
desire,  realizing  that  upon  our  action  at  this  time 
hangs  the  whole  future  of  the  Church  of  Korea. 

Plea  for  a Strong  Advance 

The  golden  day  of  God’s  opportunity  is  upon  us 
in  Korea.  Let  us  not  sin  it  away  in  idleness. 

The  busy  world  shoves  angrily  aside 
The  man  who  stands  with  arms  akimbo  set, 
Until  occasion  tell  him  what  to  do. 

And  he  who  waits  to  have  his  task  marked  out 
Shall  die  and  leave  his  errand  unfulfilled. 

I plead  on  behalf  of  ten  millions  of  souls  now 
slowly  beginning  to  turn  their  eyes  to  “the  Light 
of  the  World.”  I plead  on  behalf  of  a youthful 
Church,  eager,  anxious,  ready  for  the  fray,  and 
only  asking  for  sufficient  and  efficient  leadership. 
I plead  that  our  great  Church  may  begin  seriously, 
and  in  a manner  commensurate  with  her  vast  re- 
sources, the  work  of  evangelizing  Korea.  For  I 
dare  affirm  that,  moving  forward  from  the  van- 
tage grounds  of  past  success  along  the  lines  of  our 
magnificent  opportunities,  the  end  is  already  loom- 
ing in  sight  on  the  far  horizon  of  Korea. 

75  Cents  per  100  Copies 

Series  of  1904 


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